At this time.
Directing your attention from wherever it was.
Into our community gathering here today.
Necessary act of care for self so that we can be there for others.
Be that immediate family members or coworkers or friends or just the world in general.
So welcome and let's begin.
And first,
Settling in,
Whether you are choosing to be seated or laying down for this exercise.
And just noticing those touch points where body is being supported.
So it could be the floor supporting feet.
Seat of the chair supporting eyes and bottom.
And if you are laying down for the exercise today,
Just noticing Those touch points.
Your body,
Perhaps the heels.
Again,
Dies and bottom and upper back.
Supported by.
The floor,
The couch,
Or the bed.
Feeling yourself being supported in this moment and perhaps noticing,
Is there unnecessary muscle tension being exerted that doesn't serve any purpose?
Could be residual tension or anxiety holding.
And just inviting itself to let that go as best as you can in this moment.
And whether you're seated or laying down,
I'm always a big fan of shoulder rolls.
I don't know about you,
But I carry tension in the shoulders and neck.
So a few simple shoulder rolls tends to draw attention,
Awareness to that tension.
Inviting a melting away as best as you can.
Noticing any clenching in the jaw,
Another common area that we.
Carry life's stress,
Inviting jaw to loosen.
The teeth from the upper and lower jaws to separate,
Bringing sort of a slackness in the jaw.
And then deciding if you'd like to have eyes opened or closed for this exercise.
If you're feeling a little sleepy,
Then eyes open can invite in some energy to provide wakefulness.
If you're finding yourself a little scattered,
Sometimes closing eyes can lessen that visual input.
So making a choice,
Eyes open or closed.
And then bringing attention to either body breathing or whatever you'd like to use as a sensory home base today.
So it could be.
Points of contact of support like feet on the floor.
Or hands resting on lap or thigh.
Or it could be body breathing as well,
That gentle rhythm.
Expansion with the in-breath.
Letting go.
With the out breath.
And for whatever you're choosing to be your sensory home base today.
Letting that fill your attention completely.
Within your field of awareness.
Bringing it fully in to making contact with this.
Sensory based experience of body breathing.
Whatever you choose in this moment.
And remembering as well,
Whether you today's your very first time meditating or you've been doing it for decades.
All of us at some point,
Our mind,
Our focus will drift and that's okay.
That's what minds do.
Like that's mind sort of doing their thing,
Looking elsewhere for novelty or what else needs attention.
Very commonly it's into some sort of thought.
And when you notice that's occurred,
Well first practicing some kindness towards yourself,
Like,
Oh,
Look,
I've drifted away.
That's okay.
In the very act of noticing drifting away,
You're already coming back to your home base.
So it's in gentleness and kindness,
Ushering focus back to body breathing.
Your sensory home.
Sometimes the place where we find ourselves drifting off to.
Maybe something recently that was a little bit challenging or difficult.
That had maybe a little emotional tone to it.
The story from the recent or remote past.
That arrives into mind.
Brings with it some charge.
There's a wonderful practice that comes out of the self-compassion.
Understanding of mindfulness called soften,
Soothe,
And allow.
So I want to share this as a gift with you all today because it's something that I need a little love today.
If you notice,
Perhaps.
As this.
Somewhat challenging past event and invite you to not necessarily choose something really big when you're practicing,
But maybe something a little more manageable today.
But as this challenging or difficult.
Past of that comes to mind.
Story unfolds.
Within mind.
There can be a bit of a.
Experience down in body.
Sometimes kind of a tension or a hardening.
Noticing what's your first reaction to that.
Again,
This is suspending judgment.
It's more about understanding self.
Maybe there's a pushing away or turning away.
And the first step of this process is.
Softening where you notice the edges of the fabric.
Felt sense within body.
And if it helps,
You can actually lay your hand over where you notice it in your body.
And that gentle pressure and warmth of hand upon body.
Support this softening.
It's almost like imagining a scoop.
Of ice cream.
Left out on the counter.
And how no matter how frozen that ice cream is sitting on the counter around the edges starts to.
Soften and melt.
And inviting for this.
Felt sense inside.
Just around the edges and just to the point that you feel safe and comfortable doing so.
And soften it.
Around the edges.
Of this place that may be served.
Heart.
Solid with it.
And you control this experience at any time if it feels like,
I don't know about this.
Just coming back to body breathing.
It's a safe home base.
The next step after inviting a softening around the edges.
It's stupid.
Sort of the same way if you have a sore muscle and you take like a healing balm.
Which sometimes are kind of smelly.
But you rub that healing balm into the sore muscle.
And it gives that wash over of warmth,
Of soothing.
Around now the softening edges of this region of the body.
I did it in that sense of soothing warmth.
Caring for self.
And again,
Noticing what's the reaction to this gift of soothing.
And at any time,
If you need to step out,
Just turning back to breath and body.
Trying to force anything.
All in me.
Spirit or an act of kindness,
Passion towards self.
And the third step in this approach of allowing whatever you find yourself encountering You tend to this tender place within.
Allowing it to unfold at its own rate.
This is where we can call upon the mindfulness quality of trusting.
Just as our bodies know how to heal that.
Can be an emotional trusting as well.
And at the same time,
If you reach a place of that's enough.
It's okay to turn back to breath and body.
And so this simple tool.
Or perhaps complex or complicated.
Memories and experiences.
And he used it anytime,
Anywhere.
Softening.
Soothe in.
Allowing.
What's it like to bring this kind of care and attention that maybe you give to others?
Giving it to yourself today.
Softening.
Soothe it.
Allow it.
Always having the option of stepping back out.
Grounding back within.
Body and breathing.
And also reminding ourselves there's no perfect place.
To arrive with any type of exercise like this.
It's allowing.
What there is there to be experienced as it is.
Trusting self.
To deepen this capacity that we are bigger than whatever we touch and experience.
Is observing or witnessing itself.
Coming back to body breathing once again.
Letting go,
Whatever.
Was experienced.
If your eyes were closed,
Opening eyes and visually reconnecting with surroundings.
Maybe a little.
Stretch your movements.
To begin transitioning.
Back to the remainder of your day.
Noticing what was it like to give yourself a few moments of tending to this tender place?
And then stepping back into your day.
Thank you,
And until we meet again.
May you be well.
May you be at peace.
